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Monday, 25 August 2014

Witch Mountain - Mobile of Angels (Album Review)

Album Type:
Full Length

Date Released:
2/10/2014

Label:
Svart Records

“Mobile of Angels” CD/LP
Tracklisting:

1. Psycho
Animundi 08:47

2. Can’t
Settle 08:51

3. Your
Corrupt Ways, (Sour the Hymn) 10:27

4. Mobile of Angels 03:29

5. The Shape
Truth Takes 07:02

Bio:

In 2009, Uta
Plotkin added her voice to WitchMountain in front of a triumphant sold out crowd at Portland, OR's
venerable club Satyricon. Supporting Pentagram—East coast godfathers of
American doom who also took far too long to receive their rightful due—Plotkin
brought the necessary ingredient that WitchMountain
founders Rob Wrong and Nate Carson had been seeking since they initially formed
the group back in 1997.

Originally far
out of step with the lazy, indie-rock scene in Portland, guitarist Wrong and
drummer Carson sought to put their own stamp on the tradition of doom metal as
laid down by Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Trouble, and Saint Vitus. Years of road
work in support of peers such as High on Fire, Spirit Caravan, Electric Wizard,
YOB, Weedeater, Eyehategod, and all the rest had granted WitchMountain
a solid footnote in the history of one of music’s heaviest genres. And though
real life careers took the band largely out of commission between 2003 and
2008, Plotkin’s emergence kicked the band back into a high gear that shows no
signs of waning.

With renewed
vigor, WM returned to the studio to capture the long-awaited sophomore album
South of Salem.
Produced by master “engine-ear” Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Melvins), the
record was self-released by the band on vinyl, and shortly thereafter
recognized as the "#4 Best Metal Album of 2011" by NPR. With a SXSW
showcase, west coast tours with Christian Mistress and Wino project Premonition
13, and a massively downloaded Adult Swim compilation under its belt, Witch
Mountain proved its modern work ethic and soon signed up with dream label
Profound Lore.

The
Band:

Uta Plotkin |
Vocals

Rob Wrong |
Guitar

Nathan Carson
| Percussion

Charles Dingus
| Bass

Review:

It’s no secret that the Pacific
Northwest has been a hotbed of talent for decades. Ask any metal
head to name one of their favorite bands and you’re sure to get a namedrop of
at least one group from anywhere below the Columbia River Gorge all the way up
to the Cascades Mountains. For those of us here on the opposite side of the United States, (or even farther in the case of
our British readers,) the Portland
area has become a bit of a heavy music mecca. In addition to its rich history
of punk/metal hybrids, like Final Warning, Poison Idea, and The Wipers, this
area is also home to some of the best contemporary heavy bands around. Red
Fang, YOB, Agalloch, Lord Dying, just to name a few, and that’s just the tip of
the iceberg. One band in particular has been shining like a distant star over a
black sea, gaining praise far and wide for bringing an especially unique brand
to an already beloved scene. They are greeted with open arms at worldwide
festivals, have been featured numerous times on National Public Radio, and have
even garnished recognition in mainstream music magazines, like SPIN. That band
is the great WitchMountain.

You may ask, “What is it that makes WitchMountain
so special?” and it’s not an entirely outrageous question to ask. After all,
they’re a doom band and there are plenty of doom bands around. They have a
female singer, which also isn’t exactly an uncommon thing these days. Still,
most fans would probably come nowhere close to scrutinizing Witch Mountain in
such a manner, because upon that initial moment you hear the band’s sound,
which is ample, lumbering and occasionally hallucinogenic, chances are you will
no longer be searching for anything typical in regards to their music. On the
contrary, you’ll more than likely develop an instantaneous longing for their dynamic
song structures, which range from Nathan Carson’s perfectly clocked rhythms,
the low end rumble of Charles Dingus, Rob Wrong’s thick, delicious Stratocaster
tones and slashing leads, producer Billy Anderson’s rich depth and clarity, and
of course–perhaps more of a standout than anything else–Uta Plotkin’s voice.
It’s hard to imagine even the most dogmatic metal fans taking issue with her
singing. She can be sweet like nectar. She can growl like a demon. She can
effortlessly push her multiple octave range from soothing, bluesy lows to
grandiose, operatic highs. Uta’s voice, if I may temporarily borrow a
description from everyone’s favorite fictional psychopath, Alexander DeLarge,
is “gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh.”

The band’s latest offering, “Mobile of Angels,”
begins with an explosive intro that immediately segues into the slow swagger of
“Psycho Animundi.” Once you’re locked into the sway of that seemingly simple
riff, Uta’s voice comes in chanting at a low, gruff register. As the song builds
into some fantastic guitar playing, courtesy of Rob Wrong, Uta shifts her voice
between bluesy, southern drawls to masterful, harmonic high notes. “Psycho
Animundi” could probably be viewed as the representative track for WitchMountain’s
music in general. It has all of the elements their fans enjoy. It’s heavy as
fuck, it’s psychedelic without employing studio trickery or excessive guitar
effects, it has killer stop-on-a-dime dynamics, and it’s good and long,
clocking in at nearly nine minutes. However, where Witch Mountain truly succeed,
and where many other doom bands do not, is in their ability to engage listeners
throughout the entirety of their lengthy tunes. In fact, when “Psycho Animundi”
comes to its close, you’ll wonder if it’s truly the end.

The second track, “Can’t Settle,” provides Uta
with the chance to showcase her death metal growls and also grants Rob Wrong
and Nathan Carson the opportunity to prove they’re not solely reliant on
playing at high volume. Rob’s airy guitar chords show us that he knows when not
to play, and it also gives us a chance to truly hear Carson’s
subtle moments, (not to mention, it’s at these moments when Billy Anderson’s
stellar production is front and center. Carson’s
cymbals sound top notch). This subtle flow also takes us into the album’s
midpoint, the stunning “Your Corrupt Ways.” For my money, this may be the best
song the band has ever written, (and yes, I am including every song from “South
of Salem” and “Cauldron of the Wild” in that bold statement.) A tune like this
proves that WitchMountain will always
be a standout band because they realize one vitally important thing. They know
how to write a truly powerful song. I’m talking about a
stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks kind of song. They also know how to utilize each
individual talent within the band to bring the song’s power to light. “Your Corrupt Ways” is dark, understated and bluesy without
sounding remotely redundant nor commonplace. It also achieves that ever so
difficult balance of being heavy while maintaining a mellow and relaxed vibe at
the same time. Nathan Carson and bassist, Charles Dingus, provide sufficient
evidence that a tight rhythm section need not rely on flash and irregularity.
Uta’s voice has never sounded stronger than it does here. She’s tuneful, spirited,
and adds just the right amount of vibrato and provocation to the overall melody
of the music. There may even be some voices other than Uta’s providing some
“Oooh’s” and “Ah’s.” Guitarists will be in awe of Rob’s remarkable tones and
his careful arrangement of drones, atmosphere, and attack. All in all, this is
a song about isolation, guilt, and heartache, and it may be one of the best
songs you’ve heard in a long, long while. After “Your Corrupt
Ways,” we come upon the title track. It’s a surprisingly short
number that takes us into some rather creepy territory with heavily reverbed,
harmonized organ sounds and a bad dream narrative courtesy of Uta. This one is
sure to be a hit for lovers of all things dark and ambient. The closing number,
“The Shape Truth Takes,” brings the record to a somber, reflective ending.
Beautiful vocal harmonies, excellent loud/quiet progressions, and incredibly
soulful guitar leads.

“Mobile of Angels,” with its five song, 38 minute
length, is a well planned and perfectly executed work of art that will
certainly be viewed as a career high for Witch Mountain. However, it must be
mentioned that during the time of this review, I learned Uta Plotkin will be
parting from the band once they finish touring in support of this record. All
reports seem to confirm amiability between everyone in the group, and longtime
original members, Rob Wrong and Nathan Carson, have no intentions of stopping,
(they have stated that they will be auditioning singers when the time is
right). As a fan who always viewed Witch Mountain as a special, standout band
in the world of heavy music, this unfortunate news for me, particularly given
my love for Uta’s singing and her raw talent. However, it goes without saying
that Witch Mountain is more than a sum of their parts, and that their unique
and wonderful music will not cease with Uta’s departure. Regardless of what may
come of the band, we still have “Mobile of Angels” and all their previous
offerings. And those are forever.

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